


Dancing

by Ember_x_Mystery



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Fluffy, I don't know why I wrote this, I love all of these characters so much, L is a really good dancer, Light's POV, M/M, Mogi needs more love, NOT SAD, Referenced scene with the strawberry, While L and Light are chained together, minimal angst, when L was talking about being the top detectives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 23:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13774839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ember_x_Mystery/pseuds/Ember_x_Mystery
Summary: Yotsuba is holding a ball and Ryuzaki decides it would be good to attend the ball to watch their social interactions with others.That doesn't really happen.Instead, he and Light dance together.





	Dancing

Light's PoV~

I stared before me, clueless as to what was happening.

Why… why was L— _L of all people_ — wearing a suit?

To be fair, L's version of a suit was a thin and flexible fabric jacket that had some nice cuffs and a collar to make it look fancier than it was at reality, covering his usual white t-shirt. His faded jeans had been replaced with black jeans, and a clip-on tie— colored a pleasant royal blue— was attached to his shirt. He was even wearing completely black sneakers. He looked… nice. From a distance at least. Though, his hair was still a mess and he still had dark bags under his eyes, and he still had a slouch.

"What, Light-kun? Are you shocked?" Ryuzaki asked teasingly.

I scoffed indignantly, "Why would I be shocked? You can wear whatever you like." I wanted to attach an awkward comment about how he looked good dressed up, but I bit my tongue.

"Light-kun, are you going to get dressed?"

"What do you mean?" I said glancing down at my casually nice dress shirt and trousers.

"For the dance," Ryuzaki clarified as he stuck a chocolate truffle into his mouth.

I was thoroughly confused, unsure what he was talking about. My face must have showed my utter and complete confusion because Ryuzaki tried to explain again, "Don't you remember when I was telling everyone in the group about the ballroom dance we were attending in order to supervise Yotsuba? That's tonight so you should get dressed, Light-kun."

I stood in shocked silence. I didn't remember Ryuzaki saying anything about a dance. I didn't even know what we would be doing to avoid suspicion while at the dance. It wasn't like L was someone who blended into crowds.

I sighed and went to go change, deciding that I would just have to look extra nice to beat L.

When I was finished with putting on my suit— black and tailored to fit me perfectly with an added deep crimson colored tie— I put on my dress shoes and looked back at Ryuzaki. His hair was still a complete and utter mess. He hadn't even put a moment of effort to make it presentable. All I wanted to do was to try to smooth it down so it wouldn't stand out in a crowd so much.

I realized I was staring and looked away quickly, focusing all of my attention on lacing up my shoes.

"Ready, Ryuzaki?" I asked, standing to leave.

"Of course," he replied grabbing another truffle. "I've been ready this whole time.

*

Watari had driven everyone in the limo that L owned. When we had arrived, we had decided to enter at different time intervals to draw less attention to ourselves. L and I were to be the last two out (Matsuda was first). After Mogi left us alone with Watari, I looked at Ryuzaki who was staring at the crowd slowly filing into the ballroom. "Ryuzaki, why did we come?" I asked quietly.

"Light-kun, I don't know what you mean," he replied in an almost bored voice.

"Well, you don't like social interactions for one thing."

"That's true," Ryuzaki muttered.

"And another thing, has to do with these," I raised my left hand and shook it softly to make the handcuffs linking us together rattle. "You stand out enough as it is but with these, we are hopeless."

Ryuzaki didn't reply and instead stood up, "We can head inside now."

*

My expectations had been correct. The ballroom was a bland cream color with high-up twisting chandeliers. The marble floor was waxed and shiny and the room was filled with guests dressed in suits or fancy dresses.

More importantly, my expectations of L had been accurate. He had headed straight for the food without a second thought. He snacked on the refined chocolate that was set out for guests while we stood close to the wall staring at the twirling crowds of people.

When he had finished eating, I was dragged to put the gold-rimmed plate Ryuzaki had been using to hold his chocolate, on a pile of other dirty ones.

"So, what do you think, Light-kun?"

I didn't look at him. I remained quiet. What answer was he looking for? "About what?"

Ryuzaki looked directly at me, his face betraying no emotions. "A dance."

"I don't think we can dance with other people while chained together," I said dryly.

"I meant together."

I hoped that Ryuzaki couldn't hear the gasp that escaped my lips nor the stutter in my words, "A-a d-dance?" I had bowed my head to hide my obviously pink cheeks.

_Ugh_. I knew I shouldn't be blushing. There was no reason to. L and I were friends and we were coworkers trying to solve the Kira case. I was even assumed to be Kira.

"Yes, Light-kun. A dance." Those large owl eyes were staring intently into mine as I tried to suppress all of my emotions. I closed my eyes and pretended that I were in a blank world.

"Fine," I sighed, taking L's left hand in my right as we moved to the dance floor. Ryuzaki took my left hand and placed it on his shoulder and he placed his right around my waist. I forced myself to focus on the one-two-threes of the waltz-esque music. We moved slowly but in time with the music, bobbing together and moving as one.

I was shocked that L knew how to dance. I mean, he was amazing and knew how to do a billion things, but I still couldn't imagine L taking dancing lessons given how awkward he was.

Suddenly the music slowed to a stop, and we did too, waiting for the next song. Without the constant movement, I noticed how close we were standing. I also noticed, much to my annoyance, that I was in the place of the girl.

"L!" I cried, my cheeks flushing bright red. "Why do you get to lead? Why am I the girl?"

The next song had started and we had begun to move around slowly, gliding across the floor. Ryuzaki smiled mischievously, "Oh, Light-kun, you don't like being in the place of lesser power?"

I knew he was teasing which is why I purposefully tripped and stumbled. I had expected to fall and bring Ryuzaki with me, but instead, he caught me before I could fall completely.

I found myself in his arms, my face against his chest. I panicked, trying to stumble upright as quickly as I could, though, in my haste, I almost knocked over another pair dancing. I cleared my throat, hoping to hide some of my blush, and looked back at Ryuzaki. His eyes were wide with surprise and his arms were still stretched slightly outwards as though to catch me. I thought I even saw a faint blush on his cheeks, but I chastised my mind for thinking such a ludicrous thought.

I chuckled light-heartedly, trying to break the tension. "Sorry, Ryuzaki," I said with a forced smile. I wanted to scream. Why was that light pink on his cheeks so adorable? "I'm usually a pretty good dancer. I don't know what happened."

Ryuzaki nodded, relaxing as he did so. He offered his hand to me, but this time he offered me his right hand. The chain linking us together jingled as he moved his left hand to my shoulder and I moved my right to his waist. We had reversed roles.

I smiled as we began to move to the music once again. I held Ryuzaki close to me, pulling his torso close to mine. I stared into those large eyes as we stepped in unison. In his eyes, I saw the mystery that made up L. I wanted to ask him about his life. I wanted to get to know him. I glanced at his dark mass of messy hair wondering if he had ever attempted to comb it. I couldn't help but wanting to play with the odd locks.

We were so into our dance that we barely noticed when the music ended. We just kept dancing. L had a strange grace and beauty to his dance. It was fluid and elegant, not harsh and unruly like I would have expected.

"Where did you learn to dance?" I asked quietly.

Ryuzaki blinked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Watari taught me when I was younger. After that… he would keep me in practice sometimes. When I hadn't slept for a few days and couldn't fall asleep, Watari would put on this beautiful classical music melody and would dance with me until I fell asleep in his arms. Those are some of the best memories I have." Ryuzaki smiled wistfully.

I couldn't help but smile back at him. I could only imagine Watari comforting a young L. Watari was a sweet old man who had more kindness than most people could fathom.

"Oh," Ryuzaki looked into my eyes, "Sorry for my irrelevant memories."

"No, that is really sweet of him," I said quietly, "And I enjoy hearing about your past." I moved closer to Ryuzaki hugging him close to me.

"Light-kun?" Ryuzaki asked softly. I noticed that the music had stopped. We slowed to a halt. I had moved my arms so that I was holding him to me. Ryuzaki mirrored my movements. "Light-kun?" Ryuzaki asked again, "What… what are you doing?"

I pulled away as quickly as I could, my face bright red. What was I thinking? I let go of Ryuzaki, wishing that the chain didn't bind us together so that I could run away. I held my breath, trying to calm my beating heart.

The music started again. This song was slower, more melancholy.

"Light-kun," Ryuzaki rested his hand on my shoulder, turning me towards him. He remained close to me. "What's wrong?"

I was furious with myself. I couldn't show this kind of emotion. Sure, Ryuzaki was amazing. He was brilliant. He was skilled as a detective and in many other fields. Still, I was thought to be Kira. I shouldn't even like the strange eccentric detective. I didn't know why I did like him.

I bit my lip, unsure how to respond. I noticed a smudge of chocolate on the side of Ryuzaki's mouth. Without thinking, I reached up and wiped it away with my thumb. I let my hand linger on the side of Ryuzaki's face without even realizing it. His skin was so pale against the tone of my hand.

Ryuzaki reached up and gently touched my hand, but instead of pulling mine away, he rested his hand over mine. "Light-kun... "

I held my breath, knowing that a theory or question was about to be presented. "Light-kun, do… do you… have feelings… for me?"

I bent my head down, not knowing what to say. I wanted to lower my hand from his face, but Ryuzaki held my it steadfast. I felt his hand lighten, and I dropped my hand from his face, still refusing to look at him. I felt a fiery nausea building up in my stomach. How could this have gone so wrong?

Suddenly, I felt the pressured warmth on the side of my face. Ryuzaki had placed both of his hands on my cheeks. Slowly, he turned my head upwards until I was looking at him.

"L," I said tiredly, just wanting the night to end. I didn't know what was happening. I was so used to Ryuzaki's odd habits that I wasn't sure what to expect from him.

Then, he did something I never would have expected. Ryuzaki pulled my head close to his, slowly, as though he were asking my permission. I kept my eyes wide open as our lips connected.

I was shocked into stillness, Ryuzaki was frozen against me. The music reached its peak and began to fall downwards. Ryuzaki pulled his hands away from my face. His lips leaving mine. He kept his eyes downcast. He looked ashamed.

I panicked, not wanted Ryuzaki to get the wrong idea. I pushed my head towards him in an awkward kiss. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me.

Ryuzaki's body was warm against my own. Our kiss began stiff and awkward but soon became fluid and comfortable. I felt lost in bliss. I had never thought this would be possible. In my best dreams, L and I had at most become friends. Now, we clung to each other, all thoughts about work and the Kira lost.

We broke apart, gasping for breath. "Light-kun, I had no idea…"

"Why would you have?" I asked, a hint of bitterness to my voice.

"If you are implying Kira," Ryuzaki said, his voice back to his normal monotonality, "then that wasn't what I was talking about. I was meaning the way you always distance yourself from me and try to not show emotion."

I wanted to argue but I knew he was right. I huffed thinking of all of the times I had suppressed my emotions. The only emotions I seemed to show, were ones of anger.

Ryuzaki quickly kissed me before continuing, "I mean, your suppressed emotions are one of the things I find truly fascinating about you."

"I suppose we will have to start learning more about each other," I smiled at him, loving the continual blush on his cheeks.

The music had come to an end. I expected another song to start quickly.

"Ryuzaki? Do you like me?"

Ryuzaki paused, considering his response. I feared that he would say no and that he was just humouring me. "I wouldn't allow myself to. I wanted to like you, but I couldn't help but still suspect you. Now, I don't care. Light-kun, right now, I don't care. If your Kira percent was 98 or 1…"

I understood what Ryuzaki meant and it warmed my heart. I was fairly certain I wasn't Kira. Kira wouldn't be capable of the love I felt for L. L was Kira's enemy but right now, L was my significant other. My partner.

I kissed him again. This time, we weren't as awkward. I felt like we were a paired matched together after a long time apart. We were two pieces of a puzzle finally united.

"R-R-Ryuzaki!? L-Light!?"

L and I jumped apart as quickly as we could, both searching for the voice that had called our names. I knew who had called our names but I was really hoping I was wrong. As I looked around, I noticed that the music had never started again. The musicians must have been taking a break. Because of the lack of music, almost everyone had left the dance floor leaving us alone and exposed to the crowd. I was suddenly painfully aware of how well we could be seen. When I had been focusing on Ryuzaki, I had felt like we were alone in the world. Now, I felt like flood lights were shining directly into our eyes.

"There," Ryuzaki said dully, nodding towards a corner where Matsuda stood staring at us, flabbergasted.

"Weren't we not supposed to acknowledge each other?" I asked, clearly annoyed as we walked towards Matsuda. I started to _really_ hope that my father had been paying zero attention to the dance floor.

"We were also supposed to be watching the Yotsuba group," Ryuzaki pointed out.

"Oh…" I mumbled, slightly ashamed for getting us off task but at the same time I was still overjoyed. My heart was thumping heavily. Now that we were no longer dancing together, I noticed how tired but also how utterly exhilarated I was.

I knew that I needed to do the talking when we got close to Matsuda because Ryuzaki's blunt lack of social skills would not help the present situation. I racked my brain to think of an excuse… I didn't even know how long Matsuda had been watching. Hopefully it wasn't for long.

"Hello, Matsuda-san," Ryuzaki said as we approached. He sounded so casual I was amazed.

"R-Ryuzaki!" Matsuda cried. "You… You… and Light…"

"Yes," Ryuzaki said. He dragged me towards the nearby food table. I was too stunned to say anything. I think Matsuda was too stunned to say anything as well.

When we got to the table of food, Ryuzaki scanned the hors d'oeuvres until something caught his eye. I followed close behind, partially because of the chain but also because I was curious what he was going towards.

He selected a slice of chocolate cake and took a bite. Then he turned to Matsuda, "You can get some too if you would like."

I started to laugh. I had been expecting Ryuzaki to do the same thing to Matsuda as he had done to Mogi, by handing him a strawberry, when he talked about the top three detectives in the world. Matsuda looked beyond confused. Ryuzaki was even smiling.

"A-are you going to tell me not to tell the task force or something?" Matsuda asked slowly.

Ryuzaki cocked his head to the side, "Why would I say that? The others all saw as well. In fact, you were standing next to Light's father at the time and signaled him. He only left so that he wouldn't have to face us currently. And Mogi was watching from the other side."

Ryuzaki turned to face me, "Light-kun, why are you blushing?"

"L!" I cried indignantly. "I didn't know other people were watching us! I thought we were hidden in the crowd!"

"It shouldn't matter, Light-kun. In fact, it shows how much you love me to be able to ignore the present company."

I knew my blush was getting worse. I wanted Kira to kill me now.

"Well," Matsuda said awkwardly, "I suppose I'm happy for you two." He smiled and nodded at us before walking away quickly. I could only hope that he wasn't headed to talk to my dad. That was a conversation I had not even thought about avoiding until this moment.

"L," I hissed, leaning in close to his ear. "What are we going to say to the Task Force?"

L shrugged. "I really don't see how it matters. I for one don't think we should let our feelings interfere with our investigation."

As much as I didn't want to think about Kira, I knew Ryuzaki was correct. I nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I think you are right."

"But that means we can still enjoy our time together now," Ryuzaki said stepping close to me. He was still eating the chocolate cake that he had picked up.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and we proceeded to walk around the edge of the ballroom, barely watching anyone apart of Yotsuba.

*

We ran into Mogi before my dad. He didn't seem to have any comments. He gave Ryuzaki a slight update on some of the Yotsuba member's interactions, especially Higuchi's.

Mogi looked between us, gave us a quick nod and a small half-smile and then turned to leave.

I was still uncomfortable, though, strangely, Ryuzaki's social awkwardness and complete lack of care for what anyone thought of him helped.

Shortly after, we ran into my father. I couldn't help but gulp, wondering what he would say to me. I didn't plan to change anything, but I didn't want things to get awkward between us if I could help it.

"Hello, Mr. Yagami," Ryuzaki said quietly, his tone monotone yet still conversational.

"Hi," I said, feigning confidence poorly.

"Ryuzaki. Light," Soichiro said, nodding to each of us.

"Do you have any notable news?" Ryuzaki asked, getting down to business as usual.

"Nothing much. Higuchi has been talking to rich businessmen and drinking." Soichiro said quietly. He had moved closer to me like a protective shadow.

"Just as I expected," Ryuzaki said, playing with his lip. "Please get the names of the businessmen he seems to take the most interest in."

"Yes, Ryuzaki," Soichiro said, nodding as he turned to leave. Before he left, he looked at Ryuzaki out of the corner of his eye. "And, Ryuzaki… make sure you treat my son well. I will be watching you."

Before I could say anything, my dad had left.

"Well, Light-kun," Ryuzaki said turning to me, "Would you like to go for another dance with me?"

I smiled. "Of course." I loved the small grin that played at the edge of Ryuzaki's mouth. He looked at me awkwardly as though he didn't know what to do. I smiled and took his arm in mine, leading him to the dance floor. I decided to let Ryuzaki lead in the dance, only slightly reluctantly.

We danced for a while, talking idly about our past lives. I listened as Ryuzaki described his and Watari's late night dances and some of his time at Wammy's house. Ryuzaki was still very secretive but it turned into a game for me to probe him until I got another detail of information.

The night was exhausting but thrilling at the same time. The ball lasted until well after midnight. Ryuzaki didn't seem to be all that tired when we got back but I was exhausted.

"Ryuzaki," I called, staring directly at him, "sleep! I don't care if you think you aren't tired, you need sleep. So come here." I gestured to the place on the bed next to me.

Ryuzaki scowled, rolling his eyes, but conceded to my request. He crawled into the bed next to me, curling into a ball with his knees tucked up to his chest. I laid on my back while Ryuzaki faced me. Slowly, soundlessly, I began to drift off to sleep. Before I fell completely asleep, I felt the pressure of Ryuzaki's head on my shoulder, his messy hair tickling my neck. I shifted so my arm wound around and held him close to me. I gently kissed his forehead, my eyes closing as I drifted off to sleep.

I was perfectly happy to forever hold my Ryuzaki in my arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. In all honesty, I don't know why I wrote this. I thought of the idea when my dad and I went to see Black Panther (Awesome movie btw) and I got sleepy (because I never sleep) and randomly thought of if L and Light were dancing, who would lead. Then I started debating which scenario I liked better and I somehow incorporated both into this story. Idk if it is really all that good, but it was fun to write.
> 
> Please comment or leave kudos if you liked it or if there is something I could do better!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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